Cleaning machine



Jan. 21, 1969 T. B. BALLARD CLEANING MACHINE Sheet Fi led Jan. 3, 1967 FIG-l 'INVENTOR THOMAS E. BALLARD BY M M i. W

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for cleaning a machine part including a turntable supported above the level of cleaning liquid in a storage tank. A shaft depends downwardly from the turntable and carries a paddle submerged in the liquid. A pump delivers liquid from the tank to a manifold having jets which directs part of the liquid at vanes carried by the turntable for rotation. The remainder of the pressurized liquid is delivered to spray heads directed at the rotating machine part. The rotation of the turntable is controlled by the size of the paddle which develops a retarding fluid force in opposition to the driving jets.

Background of the invention This invention relates to cleaning machines and more particularly has reference to a machine for rotating a machine part and having means for spraying a heated cleaning solution on the rotating part.

Cleaning machines for relatively large machine parts such as engine blocks and the like conventionally comprise a platform on which the machine part is supported and a plurality of spray nozzles which are directed toward the part and deliver a pressurized cleaning solution.

In order to improve the coverage of the spray with the machine part, the platform is usually supported for rotation so that irregular, open interior sections of the part will be exposed to the pressurized solution. The platform and the spray nozzles are normally housed in an enclosure and means are provided for recirculating the cleaning solution from a reservoir to the spray nozzles and then back through suitable drain means to the reservoir.

The supporting platform of conventional prior art machines is driven by an electric motor suitably geared for rotating the platform at a controlled rate. A pump is also required for pressurizing the cleaning solution for the spray nozzles.

The separate drive devices of conventional machines, including the drive motor and the pump, produces a complicated, expensive and cumbersome cleaning apparatus. Furthermore, a simple control device for varying the rotational rate to accommodate the part has not been available.

Summary The preferred embodiment of the present invention, which will be subsequently described in greater detail, obviates the aforementioned problems in addition to providing some special advantages over cleaning machines of the prior art. A shaft supported for rotation to a cleaning solution tank carries a turntable above the level of the solution in the tank and a paddle submerged in the solution. The turntable preferably has a circular periphery with a series of circumferentially spaced vanes fixed to the periphery. A tubular manifold positioned around part of the turntable has jet orifices facing the vanes. Branch conduits connected to the manifold are spaced from the axis of rotation of the platform and have spray orifices directed towards the position occupied by the part supported by the turntable.

A single pump, taking suction from the tank, pressurizes the cleaning solution and delivers it to the manifold where a part of the solution is directed in a tangential direction toward the vanes to rotate the turntable. The remainder of the pressurized fluid is delivered through the branch conduits to provide a spray discharge directed at the rotating part carried by the turntable. Thus, a single pressure producing device provides power for rotating the platform and for pressuring the cleaning solution delivered to the spray heads.

The efliciency of the machine is achieved by using pressurized cleaning liquid from a common source for both the spray heads and the jets, however, a suitable pressure for the spray heads usually corresponds to a high jet pressure. The high rotational speed of the turntable is controlled by the paddle carried in the cleaning solution. The paddle develops a retarding force in opposition to the rotation of the turntable in proportion to its size. By choosing a paddle having a selected surface area, the rate at which the turntable rotates is kept 'within a desirable range of about 3-10 r.p.m.,s when the pressurized fluid is acting on the vanes under a pressure head of about 42 p.s.1.

The cleaning cycle is accelerated by heating the solution to about degrees Fahrenheit. The solution is heated by a conduit disposed in the cleaning solution through which a heated gas is directed.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved machine for cleaning machine parts wherein a turntable for supporting the machine part is rotated by pressurizing the cleaning solution, using part of the pressurized solution to impart rotary motion to the turntable and the remainder of the pressurized solution to provide an atomized spray to the rotating part.

It is another object of the present invention to reduce the number of operating components required in a clean ing apparatus by providing such an apparatus with a member for supporting a machine and hydraulically powered for rotation, means directing a pressurized spray of cleaning solution at the rotating part, with the energy for developing the hydraulic power and for pressurizing the fluid developed from a single pump means.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning machine having a member supported for rotation and powered by hydraulic means.

Still further objects and advantages of the present invention will readily occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains upon reference to the following detailed description.

Brief description of the drawings The description makes reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning machine illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention with parts cut away and other parts shown schematically for purposes of clarity;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational sectional view taken along lines 22 of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the cleaning apparatus illustrated in FIGURE 2 taken along lines 3-3 of FIG- URE 2.

Description of the preferred embodiments Now referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a tank 10 adapted for holding a quantity of a suitable cleaning solution 12. The tank 10 preferably comprises an inner shell 14 and an outer shell 16 of sheet metal with a thick layer of insulation 18 disposed therebetween.

The tank 10 preferably has a rectangular configuration and supports a horizontal bracket 20 above the normal level of the fluid 12 contained therein.

A shaft 22 is journaled in a bearing 24 carried by the bracket for rotation about a generally vertical axis. The shaft 22 extends above the bracket 20 and is provided with a supporting collar 26 which rides on the bearing 24. A turntable'28 is carried at the upper end of the shaft 22 and preferably has a circular periphery. The turntable 28 has a diameter and a thickness for accommodating a relatively heavy machine part such as an engine block or the like indicated in phantom at 30 in FIGURE 1.

A plurality of vane elements 32 are fixed to the periphery of the turntable 28 and preferably arranged at a regular spacing. The vanes 32 comprise a series of rigid flat elements each of which lies in a plane passing through the axis of rotation of the turntable 28.

The lower end of the shaft 22 is narrowed as at 34 and threadably engages a paddle member 36. The paddle member 36 is carried below the normal level of the cleaning solution 12 and is retained on the narrowed end 34 by a nut 38. The paddle 36 is illustrated as a flat member supported in a plane passing through the axis of rotation of the shaft 22. It can be seen that as the shaft 22 rotates, leading faces of the paddle 36 will set up a retarding force tending to restrict rotation of the shaft 22. This retarding force or drag is proportional to the surface area of paddle 36 so that a greater retarding force can be achieved by replacing paddle 36 with a larger paddle and a lesser retarding force achieved by a smaller paddle. It would be obvious that a paddle presenting a variable effective surface area opposing the rotation of the shaft 22 could be achieved by support means for pivoting the paddle 36 about a horizontal axis. Thus, any selected retarding force could be achieved between a minimum force when the paddle is pivoted and locked in a horizontal plane and a maximum force achieved when it is locked in a vertical plane.

A U-shaped tubular manifold 40 is supported to the tank 10 such that it lies in a plane common with the vanes 32 and positioned around three sides of the turntable 28. Each leg of the manifold 40 is provided with an orifice 42 facing the trailing face of the vanes 32 and arranged to deliver a tangential discharge at the vanes 32.

An upright elongated, tubular spray conduit 44 is connected to the ends of each leg of the manifold 40. Each spray member 44 has a length accommodating the engine block 30 and has its upper end plugged by a cap member 46. Each spray conduit is provided with a series of orifices 48 aimed generally toward the axis of rotation of the platform 28 and arranged such that they define a spray arc of a limited angle directed toward the block 30.

A pumping apparatus 50 disposed exteriorly of the tank 10 and having a suction conduit 52 fluidly connected with the solution 12 contained within the tank and a discharge conduit 54 for delivering the pressurized fluid is fluidly connected to the manifold 40. Thus, it can be seen that a single pump provides means for rotating the platform 28 and also for providing a spray of pressurized solution to the block 30. The pressurized solution is delivered through the conduit 54 at a preferred pressure of about 40 p.s.i. to the manifold 40 and discharged through the orifices 42. The pressurized stream of fluid is delivered to the vanes 32 and develops a force on the vanes sufficient to rotate the turntable 28 and the engine block 30. The remainder of the pressurized fluid is delivered to the spray conduits 44 where it discharges through the orifices 48 in a spray sufficient to thoroughly clean foreign matter such as grease and the like from the engine block 30. The pump 50 is preferably of the internal combustion driven type so that the cleaning apparatus is mobile in addition to being simple in construction.

The preferred turntable 28 rotates at about 31() r.p.m. As hereinbefore described, the rate at which the turntable 28 rotates is dictated by the size of the paddle so that a paddle is chosen having a surface area corresponding to the selected rotation of the turntable.

A more rapid and efficient cleansing action is achieved by heating the solution 12. This heating action is preferably achieved by an exteriorly located gas heater 56 having output through a heating conduit 58 which is arranged to make a series of passes through the heating solution 12 and then exhaust at 60 to the atmosphere.

The turntable 28, the manifold 40 and the spray heads 44- are enclosed by a lid 62 connected by hinges 64 to the upper edge of tank 40.

It has been found that by arranging the intake end of suction conduit 52 at the center of the bottom of tank 10, less sediment is passed through the strainer of pump 50. This is because the rotating paddle 36 creates a swirling fluid motion in the solution such that the sediment washed from the rotating part settles in the stagnant peripheral bottom section of the tank 10.

It is to be understood that I have described an improved cleaning machine utilizing a single pump 50 for pressurizing the cleaning solution and wherein discharge conduit means 54 delivers the output of the pump 50 to the manifold 40 for rotating the turntable 28 and also to the spray heads 44 for atomizing the cleaning solution and directing it toward the rotating part 30. Because the pressure required to produce a satisfactory spray through the spray heads is of a magnitude such that the turntable 28 would rotate at an extremely high speed if unretarded, the paddle 36 has been provided. The paddle 36 provides an extremely simple means for reducing the rotation of the turntable 28 to a desirable speed so that an extremely large part normally having many interior passages such as an engine block 30 can be cleaned in a matter of 5 to 6 minutes compared to an hour to an hour and a half for conventional machines of the type that employ means for reciprocating parts carried in a basket and submerged in a cleaning solution.

Although I have described but a single preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that many changes and revisions can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

(1) Apparatus for applying a pressurized cleaning liquid to articles, said apparatus comprising;

(a) a rotatable member defining an axis of rotation;

(b) a plurality of vanes fixedly associated with said rotatable member and spaced from said axis of rotation;

(c) jet producing means for tangentially introducing a liquid under pressure to said vanes and operable to rotate said member about said axis;

(d) means carried by said rotatable member for supporting an article for rotation about said axis;

(e) means for spraying a pressurized cleaning liquid toward said rotating article, said spraying means effective for removing foreign matter from said article,

(f) means responsive to rotation of said rotatable member and effective for retarding the rotation of said rotatable member to a predetermined magnitude, comprising; means defining a liquid reservoir having a quantity of liquid contained therein; and a paddle member having .a pressure area carried by said rotatable member in said liquid, the rotation of said paddle member in said liquid developing a resistance on said pressure area in opposition to the rotation of said rotatable member.

2. The apparatus as defined in clain 1, including pump means for withdrawing cleaning liquid from said reservoir and delivering it to said jet producing means.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said reservoir is adapted for the storage of cleaning liquid and including :pump means for delivering said cleaning liquid to said spray means.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3, including means for delivering said cleaning liquid to said jet producing means.

liquid reservoir, said support member adapted to carry an article.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said vanes are afiixed to said support member.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said vanes are affixed to said support member in a circular arrangement and disposed in a common plane.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein said support member has a circular periphery and is supported for rotation about its axis, and said vanes are affixed to said circular periphery in a circumferentially spaced relationship.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein said reservoir is adapted for storage of cleaning liquid and including pump means for delivering said liquid to said spraying means.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said jet producing means includes .a manifold supported in radially spaced relationship from said vanes, an orifice in said conduit facing said vanes and arranged to deliver a pressurized cleaning liquid to said vanes in tangential relationship to the rotation of said vanes about said axis.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said spraying means includes a plurality of branch conduits fluidly connected to said manifold and arranged in spaced apart relationship from the axis of rotation of said support member, a series of orifices formed in each of said branch conduits and effective to deliver pressurized cleaning fluid through a limited angle and towards said axis.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein said cleaning liquid is continuously recirculated from said reservoir to said jet means and said spraying means.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 14, including an openable enclosure housing said supporting member and having a size accommodating said article, and said openable enclosure being carried by said reservoir to define a closed cleaning chamber.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, including means for heating said cleaning liquid in said reservoir and means for thermally insulating said reservoir when said enclosure is in a closed position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,435,140 11/1922 Rolland 239-252 1,553,013 9/1925 Turrnan 134-138 1,949,814 3/1934 Replogle 134-138 XR 1,975,760 10/1934 Arbenz. 2,062,704 12/1936 Forsyth 134-138 XR 3,029,028 4/1962 Skerritt 239-252 3,041,212 6/1962 Booth 134-138 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 712,920 10/1941 Germany. 267,269 3/1927 Great Britain.

ROBERT L. BLEUTGE, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

